[Anchor]

A passenger plane heading to Jerusalem made an emergency landing yesterday (September 30). It was reported that the co-pilot stabbed the captain with a weapon and attempted to force the plane to crash, but it was the passengers who averted a disaster.

This report comes from Paris correspondent Kwon Yeongin.

[Reporter]

The interior of the passenger plane shakes violently as passengers scream.

A person covered in blood lies collapsed on the floor, suggesting a fierce struggle took place.

Yesterday morning local time, a brawl broke out between pilots aboard a Flydubai passenger plane flying from Dubai to Jerusalem.

The aircraft, which had even transmitted Code 7500—used for emergency situations such as hijacking—temporarily disappeared from flight tracking systems, raising claims that it had been hijacked. Fortunately, it made an emergency landing at a military airport in Saudi Arabia.

[Almog Italy / Passenger]: "The plane plunged for 20 to 30 seconds as if it hit massive turbulence, and then it stabilized."

The Israeli government stated that the co-pilot stabbed the captain with a weapon and tried to force the aircraft to crash.

However, passengers and crew members forced their way through the cockpit door and subdued the co-pilot.

[Passenger]: "We are currently inside the plane. We have subdued the terrorists and are about to land. If anyone can hear me, we need help."

With a doctor among the passengers, injured individuals including the captain received emergency medical treatment. It was reported that a reserve pilot on board took over the controls to avert the crisis after the plane was sent into a nosedive toward potential destruction.

All 180 passengers and crew members landed without major injuries, and eight hours after the emergency landing, the passengers boarded a replacement flight and arrived at their destination in Israel.

Currently, both the captain and the co-pilot are receiving treatment at a hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Testimonies from colleagues suggest that the Omani co-pilot joined Flydubai 8 months ago and had previously shown signs of religious extremism.

Saudi authorities, having secured custody of the co-pilot, plan to investigate the circumstances of the incident and whether any accomplice forces were involved.

Video by Kim Jong-mi